Flying during coronavirus: Stay safe

[Consumer Reports]   Dear Friend, In just days, more than 30,000 people have signed our petition to Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao to create enforceable health and safety standards for air travel during the pandemic. [Can you help us push for safe air travel by adding your name?]( We’re seeing and hearing more stories about packed airplanes, passengers who won’t wear masks, and crowded baggage claims with no social distancing. Secretary Chao can fix this by issuing enforceable health rules that all airlines and passengers have to follow, but she hasn’t. [Sign our petition: Airline safety isn’t your job during a pandemic — it’s hers!]( Thank you, Tim Marvin Consumer Reports --------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Friend, You shouldn’t have to figure out whether it’s safe to fly during this pandemic. But that’s exactly what our nation’s Secretary of Transportation is expecting of you — refusing to require airlines, airports and passengers to follow health and safety protocols that would help stop the spread of coronavirus. Already, American, Spirit and United airlines say they’ll fill every seat on their planes, ignoring physical distancing recommendations. Some airlines and airports are enforcing mask requirements, while others aren’t. And some airports are doing health screenings without any clear rule on how that information will be acted on, raising both medical and privacy concerns. [Join with Consumer Reports in telling Secretary Chao to make passenger health and safety standards mandatory during this pandemic. Airline safety isn’t your job — it’s hers!](  [Sign the Petition](  Last month, we called on Secretary Chao to establish enforceable rules for airlines, airports and passengers to protect against the transmission of COVID-19 during air travel. She has the authority — in the wake of the September 11th terrorist attacks, new safety rules and passenger screenings were quickly put in place by the Department of Transportation. But rather than issuing enforceable health rules that could put travelers’ concerns at ease — social distancing, facial coverings, cleaning procedures — Secretary Chao last week put forth ‘guidance and recommendations’ to airlines and airports. That means it’s still up to each airline and airport to decide how to protect travelers. It’s time for the Secretary to stand up for consumers when it comes to safe and healthy air travel. Many of you are already fighting with the airlines to get a refund for flights cancelled due to the pandemic — you shouldn’t also have to fight just to stay healthy when you fly!  [Sign the Petition](  This is a moment where all of us speaking out can make a real difference in the spread of this deadly virus. After you sign the petition, please forward it to friends and family, and share it on social media, so we can ramp up the public pressure on Secretary Chao! Thank you, Tim Marvin Consumer Reports [Unsubscribe from Consumer Reports action alerts.]( © 2020 Consumer Reports, 101 Truman Avenue, Yonkers, NY, 10703 [Contact Consumer Reports](